Reviews

“The journey author Nancy Shulins took me on began here:

‘Letting go of a dream is a process, a series of openings and closings of the hand, as you watch the magic dust you’ve been cradling so carefully trickle away in thin streams. It’s a progression, one that cannot be rushed. The key is to practice losing a bit at a time, lest you fall apart when you see it’s all gone.’

Anyone who has battled infertility knows exactly what Shulins is talking about (but few of us could put it into such poignant, perfect words). I remember the magic dust trickling away month after month, IVF after IVF. What I didn’t know back then was that all those thin streams would converge, circle back, and, all in good time, dump a river’s worth of magic into my life. For Nancy Shulins, the magic came in the form of a 1200-pound baby.” ~ By Jill Johnson, on Modelingmentor.com.

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“This is a must read for any woman who has returned to horses later in life–or is thinking about it. Why? First, because it is beautifully written, the kind of writing that makes your mind feel as if it’s having a spa treatment, with just the right balance of stimulation and relaxation. … Second, because it is 100 percent authentic. …

Read it. You won’t regret it–and probably won’t forget it. I have no doubt that I’ll read it again someday–if I can get it back from my friends!” ~ Dale Leatherman, DiscoverHorses.com.

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“I’m always on the lookout for another to read, hoping to either learn something new or connect emotionally with the writer and the horse. In this book by Nancy Shulins, I did both. … If you call yourself a horse person, or are looking for a story that has heart, this book is for you.” ~ Linda Ransom, Shelby (MI) Area District Library, in Oceana’s Herald-Journal.

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“When I first read the synopsis of Nancy Shulins’ ode to her chestnut Thoroughbred, Eli, I was wary. In large part, the book was about the author’s journey from anguish to acceptance of the fact that she would not have children, and of the role that her horse played in this journey. I was afraid that the significance of the theme and the depth of her struggle would be lost to me, since I have never experienced anything close to the kind of pain she went through. Would I be able to relate in any way to the author, to the story?

“Nancy Shulins’ fantastic personal journey is made all the more powerful by her fierce talent. The Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist knows how to tell a story; knows how to bring us along. … I can’t imagine the once horse-mad girl who won’t enjoy Falling for Eli. A paperback original, it will nonetheless be one of my top picks of the year.” ~ India Wilson, January Magazine

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“In this wonderfully written story, Nancy Shulins introduces us to Eli — the unexpected equine companion who more than fills the booties that are so painfully absent from Shulins’s life. A really lovely read.” ~ Susan Richards, New York Times bestselling author of Chosen By A Horse,Saddled, and Chosen Forever

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“Love comes in all sizes and shapes, and Nancy Shulins opens our hearts to endless possibilities with her endearing, beautifully woven story of life with Eli. (This book is) sure to become a classic.” ~ Dolores Barclay, author and Arts Editor, The Associated Press

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“Falling for Eli is a deeply touching memoir, a refreshing and lyrical homage to love and new definitions of motherhood. Shulins is a smart, funny guide on this voyage of discovery and rediscovery, and her 1,200-pound ‘baby’ Eli will steal your heart.” ~ Scott Kraft, Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times

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“Life broke her dreams, and people nearly shattered a once powerful horse. Their lives intersected, and from the deepest corners of her heart, Nancy Shulins knew she had to save Eli, and in doing so, she saved herself. This is a beautifully written and moving story about the way love creates restorative healing between a fragile human and fragile horse enabling them to transcend loss and pain and return back into life.” ~ Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica and Grayson

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“Falling for Eli is a gift to horse lovers the world over –Shulins defines in taut and moving prose the elusive but indestructible bond between horses and the women who love them. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever loved a horse.” ~ Nina Sankovitch, author of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

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“Call me a zoophobe, or an equinophobe, or maybe just a cynic. I’ve never really understood the human attraction to animals, especially horses. Not anymore. Nancy Shulins’ obsession with a chestnut Thoroughbred—and her spare, clear, and beautiful prose—will make even the most barn-averse among us appreciate the mysterious bond between a horse and her owner, and the redemptive, life-altering force of one of earth’s most powerful creatures.” ~ Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak and A Few Seconds of Panic

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“A gifted Associated Press special correspondent, Shulins had followed a successful career path. But, exiting her thirties, she found herself surrounded by other people’s children and none of her own. Years of fertility treatments brought only disappointment and feelings of inadequacy, despite a lovely home and a loving husband.

Enter horses. Turning to riding as a diversion, she stumbled onto a new, all-encompassing love: an ex-race horse she named Eli. What follows is a delightful account of one more woman who took up horseback riding at midlife, totally unprepared for the complete dedication and emotional rollercoaster that goes with owning a beautiful, powerful, yet very fragile horse.

A well-written tale, readers will empathize with Shulins as she discovers each new horse’s character, abilities and faults; you will cry with her over the loss of her first mount to founder; and smile as you watch Eli work his way into her heart.” ~ Janet Blevins, Knight Equestrian Books

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“Shulins proves to be a vulnerable, winning narrator in this story of redemption.” ~ Publishers Weekly

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“Eli is presented as a complete entity, not just a riding vehicle. He has all the personality depth and range of a child, easily fulfilling Ms. Shulin’s need to nurture, yet she never romanticizes or anthropomorphizes him. Rather, she shows keen understanding of equine mentality through her realistic portrayal of his behavior. She does the same with people, too, making Falling for Eli an insightful portrait of both woman and animal.” ~ New York Journal of Books

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“Shulins’s prose is a pleasure to read. She vividly depicts the dedication and passion required to love a horse long-term, as well as the limitless rewards in doing so. Shulins explores many facets of horse ownership–from the fear many riders experience atop an unpredictable, 1,200-pound animal to the inherent fragility of these massive, majestic creatures.” ~ Kristen Galles of Book Club Classics, on Shelf Awareness.

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” ‘Eli and I are connected as if by some subtle, invisible string,’ writes Shulins at one point, and the totality of the book gives exactly that impression: of a profound, tremendously meaningful connection between human and horse, in which there is genuine two-way communication and through which Shulins finds, if not exactly a substitute for a human child, a thinking and feeling being – on which she can lavish unending amounts of patience, concern and genuine love.” ~ INFODAD.com

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“This book is not just for horse lovers or those who can commiserate with Shulins’ infertility issues, but for anyone who enjoys entertaining and exceptional writing of one woman’s journey to motherhood.” ~ Loretta Carrico Russell, The Internet Review of Books.